I was walking out of a supermarket a few years ago with my two young daughters, both under ten at the time, I would guess, when a woman thrust a collecting tin in front of me and shook it in an intimidating way, she uttered some words about a local children’s charity, which I didn’t…

Most of you will have heard the sad news that Gloria died last Saturday. Apart from everything else that Gloria did, she was a very valued and committed contributor to Thought for the Day. We would like to share this special thought from Gloria that was first published on 10th March 2021. Although Gloria was…

I could list several times that I felt I could not succeed. In my early years as a teacher, I came quite close to quitting. In the late 60’s the school leaving age was increased from 15 to 16. Those who just had to stay on another year were put into a large group called…

We have been delighted over the last three or four weeks to watch a hummingbird hawk moth busily feeding outside our dining room window while we are feeding inside it. Then I realised something I should have noticed before, namely, bees and other insects busily feeding on flowers do not waste their time coming in…

Last week, for the first time ever I went to Wimbledon. We didn’t have tickets for the top courts, but we got a grounds pass enabling us to queue to go into the other courts as and when seats became available. Before and after we managed to get a seat on court, we sat and…

The Thought for the Day is from John 17 v 16.They are not of the world, even as I am not of it The water spider is an amazing little creature. Called the frogman of the spider world, it lives in rivers and streams. How does this fascinating species survive in its watery environment? It…